asked the Minister for Finance when he received proposals from Cork County Council to combat coastal erosion at Union Hall, County Cork; and if he will take action on this matter immediately.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Cork Coast Erosion.
19.
I would refer the Deputy to my predecessor's reply to a similar question on 7th November, 1968.
The statutory preliminary examination of this proposal has not yet been made. I have agreed to meet a deputation from the Cork County Council and Deputies to discuss the matter next week.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary state if this has been in his office since 1963? I have inquired about this from Cork County Council and they have informed me that this report was in the Minister's office for the past seven years and nothing has been done about it since. Is the Parliamentary Secretary also aware that one of the national newspapers published a report on this during the past fortnight—I will give this to the Parliamentary Secretary—and that nothing has been done or nothing will be done according to the Parliamentary Secretary while those people with young families are living in those houses waiting for the next tide to wipe them out?
We cannot have a debate on this.
This is a very important matter. I want to remind the Parliamentary Secretary that he sold a school in the neighbouring village last week and he has no money to spend on this work.
This has nothing to do with the question.
There was more money in that.
I am calling Question No. 20.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that in the not too distant past very serious flooding occurred in the Union Hall area? The Parliamentary Secretary said that he will receive a deputation from the Cork County Council next week about this matter. Will he also receive a deputation about Garretstown which is in an equally bad state? What is the latest report on that?
The position about Garretstown is that the preliminary examination has been carried out and a report will be sent to the county council very shortly. It will be open to them to do something. Flooding occurred in Union Hall in 1962 as a result of an abnormally high tide. As I pointed out to Deputy O'Sullivan in the original answer to the question, there is no preliminary scheme. In order to find out if Union Hall would come within the scope of the Act I decided the best thing to do was to meet a deputation of the councillors and the Deputies and we will discuss this matter next week.
There is more money in schools.